Host sorry for slut call

Los Angeles

UNDER fire from both sides of the political divide and facing withdrawal by sponsors, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh has apologised to the woman he called a slut and prostitute last week for supporting White House policy on contraception.

The apology, posted to his website, said he did not mean to make a ''personal attack'' on law student Sandra Fluke.

''My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir,'' he wrote. ''I sincerely apologise to Ms Fluke for the insulting word choices.''

Limbaugh then reiterated his opposition to the policy, which requires health insurance plans to cover contraceptives for women.

Limbaugh had attacked Ms Fluke, alleging she was sexually promiscuous, politically motivated and ''an anti-Catholic plant''. On Wednesday, he called her a slut who ''wants to be paid to have sex''; on Thursday, he said she was ''having so much sex, it's amazing she can still walk''; and on Friday, he said Ms Fluke had said she was ''having sex so frequently that she can't afford all the birth-control pills that she needs''.